Pastor and Leadership Development

Description:

Location:

San Jose, Costa Rica

Agreement Term:

Full Time, Four Years

Anticipated Start Date(s) Include:

July 13, 2025

Agreement Type:

Long-term

Description:

This position is assigned to work with The Costa Rican Lutheran Church (ILCO). The individual will accompany congregations and church communities that are present in vulnerable communities; particularly communities which are located within large plantations operated by multi-national corporations. The church has a long history of accompanying the people within these communities, focusing on land rights, labor rights, and health rights. Additionally, there are many people in these communities who settled in the area after migrating from Nicaragua. Gender Justice is a key component of the ministries of the ILCO. Overall, this position will have significant intersection with the 5 core justice foci of the ELCA (MERGE: migration, environmental, racial, gender and economic justices). This position will also support ILCO’s work on leadership development and pastoral continuing education.

Assignment Includes:

• Serve as lead pastor in two rural communities in the central Costa Rica.
• Visits other rural communities to assist with delivering the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion
• Leadership Training for the formation of local leaders
• Support children, youth, and women’s ministries of ILCO
• Visit families in their respective communities
• Support the leadership and motivate the participation of the community in projects and activities coordinated by the Diakonia Office of ILCO
• Support the capacity for building of global leadership within ILCO
  
  

TimeLine:

• Application Opens: December 2024
• Interviews: February – April 2025
• ELCA Orientation in Chicago: July 13 – 25, 2025
• Deploy to Costa Rica: August/September 2025
  
  

Requirements:

Experience and Skills:

• M.Div and Ordination within the ELCA or ecumenical partner denomination is required.
• Experience working in Central American Churches is preferred.
• Experience in training lay leaders and candidates for ministry.
• Experience in training individuals in sustainability and its processes
• Experience in working in mission development with vulnerable people
• An understanding of holistic ministry
• Christian faith and a commitment to the mission of the church
• Openness to various expressions of Christian faith and respect for people of other faiths with a respect for beliefs, values and customs of church and culture
• Well-developed inter-personal skills demonstrating understanding and compassion
• Ability to work within the framework of a local administration
• Adaptable and flexible - sense of humor - good physical and emotional health
• Live and serve in a way which reflects the vision and expectations of the ELCA
  
  

Terms And Conditions:

• Long-Term Terms and Conditions
• This position is supported under the terms of ELCA Service and Justice Expectations and Support for Long Term Mission Personnel. Those provisions include international transportation, transportation related to work assignment, pensions and major medical coverage, assistance with schooling for children through high school, housing and cash salary which is adjusted according to the goods and services differential for Costa Rica.
• Salary is based on years of work experience.
• If candidate is married, both must complete an application for this position for discernment of the appropriate pattern of service of the spouse. In the context of global mission service, the accompanying spouse is seen as a representative of the ELCA and of the receiving church regardless of their actual role. It is important for the ELCA that both members of a couple understand the role of a missionary and are comfortable with that reality.
  
  

Physical Effort:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone. This position requires sitting for long periods of time. Employees will occasionally need to lift boxes or materials up to 15 pounds. Reasonable accommodations can be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

A psychological evaluation is required.